Walking offers many benefits, few downsides

Melvin Durai

A Bangalore woman named Silpa recently shared a video on Instagram that showed her walking home from her office. “Google Maps said 38 minutes and 2.7 kilometres, but it was more than that,” she said. Summarizing her results after two weeks of walking home from work, she said the pros were that she had “way better energy than before” and could easily meet her step counts. Her watch indicated that she had walked more than 7,250 steps during the walk home. The downside of walking home, she said, was that she had spent 840 rupees on coconut water. (The coconut wallah calls it an “upside.”) Walking home from the office is apparently so rare that several Indian news outlets carried articles about Silpa’s feat. Her video received more than 500 likes and 45 comments on Instagram. Not surprisingly, some commenters were quick to belittle Silpa’s achievement. “What about me,” one man wrote. “I walk 5.5 km daily to and from, and 30 minutes of evening walk.” Another man wrote: “What’s the big deal of just 2 weeks? I’ve done this at Nashik for a year. … Neediness of vehicles is just an annoying absurdity when timing can be matched with low UV index.” I’ve never considered the need for a vehicle as an “annoying absurdity,” but I applaud anyone who walks to and from work, or even just one way.

Walking to work is not practical for most people, of course. They either live too far away from their workplaces or face other obstacles, such as the absence of footpaths or the presence of wild animals. Wild animals can be quite annoying, especially if they have two legs and want to harass you. Not everyone can walk to work, but most people can find time to do a little walking. The benefits of walking are numerous. One of the most underrated forms of exercise, walking can give you many health benefits, including helping you lose fat, reducing your stress, protecting you from certain diseases, keeping your heart healthy, and increasing your consumption of coconut water. (Coconut water is good for you, at least that’s what the coconut wallah says.) Studies have shown that walking can also improve your thinking and memory. When I take my dog for walks, I do a lot of thinking — at least one thought per kilometer. Walking has produced some of my best ideas. This only happens, of course, when I’m not listening to music or looking at my phone. Unlike other forms of exercise, walking is something that most people can do at almost any age. Young people can generally walk faster than old people, but I’ve seen some 70-year-olds walk incredibly fast, especially at the Senior Olympics. One of the best things about walking is that it can be done in many different places. You can go to a mall or large store and just walk around in circles — nobody will care. But if you start running, you can bet that a security guard will come running after you. Guard: “Why are you running? Did you steal something?” You: “Just getting some exercise.” Guard: “Exercise? Not here! Go and join a gym.” Walking does not bring you as much attention as running does (this may be a plus or a minus for you). What about the downsides of walking? Well, if you’re in a car with air conditioning, you aren’t exposed to the temperature outside or even air pollution (depending on where you live). Walking exposes you to everything in the street, even animal droppings. But think of all the extra steps you’re getting while you walk around everything you encounter in your path!